Year after year, we hear a great deal about 21st century skills and the importance of said skills for student success. As we are nearly 20 percent of the way through the 21st century, what does that mean for today’s students? How does 21st century…

Would you be surprised to learn that 51 percent of high school students said science classes were important to their future careers? What if you learned that more than half of today’s high school students – 54 percent – said they are considering pursuing a…

While STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) education remains a hot topic, much of that discussion is focused on the STEM skills today’s students need to graduate from high school today. Too infrequently do we discuss how STEM education today extends to college and career tomorrow. It is no…

In a national survey of high school students last year, the Manufacturing Institute, SkillsUSA, and the Educational Research Center of America found that 47 percent of career and technical education (CTE) students believe their program makes career paths clearer. And more than half – 53…

For many young people, the few months between high school graduation and the start of college are about summer jobs, family time, and those final opportunities to see friends before all head off in different college and career directions. The U.S. Department of Education, though,…

With each new school year, the line between K-12 and postsecondary education gets further blurred. As students grow more savvy in understanding their individual interests and passions and how best to pursue them as career goals, our educational institutions have had to adapt to meet…

Helping students chart their paths to career and life success is not a solo effort. Success comes from strong partnerships and meaningful collaboration. Those student pathways require an intersection of school, industry, family, and community. That’s why ERCA and the Student Research Foundation are so…

We often hear how college is not necessarily aligned with the interests and passions of today’s students, with many degree programs developed decades—or even centuries—ago. But as the Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported, today’s community colleges are now looking to change that, as they…

There are a great many ways that today’s students can learn. As KQED’s MindShift recently reported, internships that provide students hands-on work experience can be just as valuable, if not more so, than traditional academic classroom opportunities. In it’s report, MindShift highlighted the efforts of…

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is more than just a K-12 curriculum. It is a passport to a lifetime of success. As we hear again and again, STEM literacy is a nonnegotiable for all in the 21st century economy, not just a needed tool…